Fixing bracket

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a fixing bracket for fixing a serve including two sides each disposed with positioning pillars and a fixing hole to a rectangular rack including four rods each disposed with a plurality of through holes. The fixing bracket includes a bracket body, reinforcing portions bending and extending from two sides of the bracket body, a hinge structure connected to one end of the bracket body, and a fixing piece connected to one end of the hinge structure. With the well-built structure of the bracket body and the reversible fixing piece, the fixing bracket for fixing the server to the rack is easy to install and durable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a fixing bracket, and moreparticularly, to a fixing bracket for fixing a server to a rack.

2. Description of the Prior Art

With use of computer and multi-function requirements for computerrapidly increasing, no doubt is cast on the importance of serversplaying an administrator's role. In the eyes of a business, whether thebusiness is a fast-expanding enterprise or an Internet service provider(ISP) with a big consumer base, servers have to meet the need for thegrowth and expansion of the Internet and thus a stand-alone server isnever fit to meet the need. For this reason, there are always additionalsevers. And installation and management of the additional severs arebecoming complicated. A foreseeable issue is that manufacturers willneed a fixing technology that not only makes installation of serverseasier and more efficient but also cuts production costs.

Known methods for securing servers in position involve fixing theservers on a rectangular rack in such a way that the servers arevertically aligned, and the rack is made up of a plurality of uprightsupport beams; the servers cannot be fixed to the rack without atransversely lying L-shaped fixing bracket.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional fixing bracket 100 fixes a server200 to a rack 300. Two opposing long sides of the fixing bracket 100together form a registering portion 101 bending inward and having aslit. The fixing bracket 100 comprises a short side. The short side ofthe fixing bracket 100 connects with the two opposing long sides of thefixing bracket 100, extends and bends 90 degrees outward to form a firstfixing plate 103. The first fixing plate 103 is disposed with aplurality of through holes 105. Two sides of the server 200 are disposedwith positioning pillars 201. Each of the positioning pillars 201comprises a neck portion 2011 and a head portion 2013. The neck portion2011 has a diameter less than that of the head portion 2013, and isslidable into the slit of the registering portion 101. The head portion2013 is received on the inner side of the registering portion 101. Therack 300 is rectangular and comprises four L-shaped support beams 300 a,300 b, 300 c and 300 d each having a plurality of through holes 301.

An installation process performed in accordance with the fixingtechnology begins with two aforesaid fixing brackets 100. Theinstallation process involves: aligning the two fixing brackets 100 insuch a way that the registering portions 101 face each other, and thatthe first fixing plates 103 face the support beams 300 c and 300 drespectively; aligning the through holes 105 of the first fixing plates103 with the through holes 301 of the support beams 300 c and 300 d;locking the first fixing plates 103 to the support beams 300 c and 300 dwith screws 9 and nuts 10 so as to fix the two fixing brackets 100 tothe rack 300; pushing horizontally the server 200 toward the supportbeams 300 a and 300 b to allow the head portions 2013 of the positioningpillars 201 disposed on the two sides of the server 200 to register withthe inner sides of the registering portions 101 respectively and allowthe neck portions 2011 to slide along the slits of the registeringportions 101; pushing the server 200 until second fixing plates 205formed on two sides of the server 200 abut against the support beams 300a and 300 b; inserting the screws 9 into a plurality of through holes207 of the second fixing plates 205 and the through holes 301 of thesupport beams 300 a and 300 b; and locking the second fixing plates 205to the support beams 300 a and 300 b with the nuts 10 so as to fix theserver 200 to the rack 300.

Each and every part of the fixing bracket is made of metal andfabricated by bending and thus the fixing bracket is easy to fabricatebecause of its simple structure. However, the fixing bracket does haveits own drawbacks. For instance, load bearing is limited to a jointbetween each of the first fixing plates and the rack, but a jointbetween each of the registering portions and the correspondingpositioning pillar does not bear the weight of a server; as a result,the fixing bracket is susceptible to deformation and a sag due toinadequate support.

As mentioned above, the installation process involves fixing the fixingbracket to the rack, and sliding the positioning pillars of the serveralong the registering portion of the fixing bracket so as to fix theserver to the rack. However, it is difficult to align the positioningpillars with the registering portions, and thus the installation processis lengthy. Fixing the fixing bracket to the server first and then theserver to the rack gives rise to a problem as follows: normally, a rackhas a width (i.e. the distance between the support beams 300 a and 300b) slightly greater than that of an intended server, and thus theadvance of the first fixing plates extending from the fixing bracket canbe stopped by the rack, preventing the first fixing plates fromproceeding horizontally; in an attempt to solve the problem, a user mayobliquely insert the server into the rack, but doing so istime-consuming, laborious and inconvenient, as the rack is typicallycomposed of L-shaped beams, and the fixing bracket has a L-shapedprofile.

Accordingly, an issue calling for urgent solution is to develop a fixingbracket for a server with a view to overcoming the aforesaid drawbacksof the prior art effectively.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, it is a primaryobjective of the present invention to provide a fixing bracket having awell-built structure.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fixingbracket that is easy to install.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a fixingbracket having a distance adjustment function to suit racks of differentdimensions.

In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the presentinvention provides a fixing bracket for fixing a server comprising twosides each disposed with positioning pillars and a fixing hole to arectangular rack comprising four rods each disposed with a plurality ofthrough holes. The fixing bracket comprises a bracket body, a hingestructure, and a fixing piece. The bracket body is formed withpositioning adjustment holes and a fixing through hole. The positioningadjustment holes match the positioning pillars respectively, and thefixing through hole matches the fixing hole. The hinge structure isconnected to one end of the bracket body. The fixing piece is connectedto one end of the hinge structure and disposed with through holes.

The fixing bracket is made of metal and comprises reinforcing portions.The reinforcing portions flank both a positioning adjustment hole and afixing through hole and are formed by a bend. The positioning adjustmenthole comprises a large-diameter portion and an elongated portioncommunicating with the large-diameter portion. The fixing through holeis elongated.

The hinge structure comprises a first hinging portion and a secondhinging portion. The first hinging portion is formed by extending andbending one end of the bracket body. The second hinging portion isformed by extending and bending one end of the fixing piece. An shaftpenetrates both the first hinging portion and the second hinging portionsuch that the first hinging portion and the second hinging portion arerotatable relative to each other. In consequence, the fixing piece canbe reversed without being subject to the width of the rack.

The reinforcing portion of the fixing bracket of the present inventionis made of metal bent in such a way that the reinforcing portion has awell-built structure, and the well-built structure is strong enough tobear the weight of a server, thus solving a drawback of the prior art,that is, a conventional fixing bracket tends to sag or deform due toinadequate support. The elimination of the drawback allows the relatedcomponent to last longer and incur less cost. Also, the fixing bracketof the present invention can be a stand-alone one working, in theabsence of any additional component, to adjust distances and thereby cansuit any racks of different dimensions (to be discussed later) designedfor installation of servers; as a result, the fixing bracket of thepresent invention is cost-efficient.

The introduction of the reversible fixing piece of the fixing bracket ofthe present invention solves another drawback of the prior art, that is,a L-shaped fixing bracket cannot be fixed to the server first andthereby is stopped from entering the rack because of the L-shapedprofile of the fixing bracket.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses a fixing bracketcharacterized by a well-built structure, ease of installation, andexcellent compatibility, and thus the present invention solves thedrawbacks of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART) is a schematic view showing how to assemble aconventional fixing bracket for a server;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a preferred embodiment of a fixingbracket for a server in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing how to assemble a fixing bracket fora server in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an assembled fixing bracket for aserver in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following specific embodiment is provided to illustrate the presentinvention. Others ordinarily skilled in the art can readily gain aninsight into other advantages and features of the present inventionbased on the contents disclosed in this specification.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated withdrawings. A point to note is that the present invention relates to afixing bracket for fixing a server to a rack. The drawings below areperspective views showing part of the fixing bracket in a simple andschematic way with a view to describe the basic structure of the presentinvention. Hence, only those components related to the present inventionare shown in the accompany drawings, and the shown components are notdrawn according to their actual quantity, shape and dimensions whenimplemented; in practice, the specifications and dimensions of thecomponents are selectively devised indeed, and the layout of thecomponents may be far more intricate.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a fixing bracket 7 fixes a server 200 to arack 300. The server 200 comprises two sides each disposed withpositioning pillars 201 and a fixing hole 203. The rack 300 comprisesupright L-shaped metal rods 300 a, 300 b, 300 c and 300 d comprising aplurality of through holes 301 and assumes a rectangular shape.

The rack 300 is a device for containing, managing, and securing inposition servers or any other electronic hosts. In this embodiment, therack 300 is configured to contain servers, without limiting the presentinvention. The two rods 300 a and 300 b, and the two rods 300 c and 300d as well, are spaced at a distance slightly greater than the width ofthe server 200.

The positioning pillars 201 disposed on and protruding from the twosides of the server 200 each comprise a neck portion 2011 and a headportion 2013 connected to the neck portion 2011. The radius of the neckportion 2011 is less than that of the head portion 2013, withoutlimiting the present invention.

The fixing hole 203 is disposed on each of the two sides of the server200. Among the fixing hole 203 and the positioning pillars 201, any twoadjacent ones are equidistant from each other. In other words, thedistance between the two adjacent positioning pillars 201 is equal tothat between the fixing hole 203 and the neighboring one of thepositioning pillars 201. The fixing hole 203 is a threaded hole.

The front of the server 200 extends bilaterally and outward to formsecond fixing plates 205 each comprising a through hole 207.

The fixing bracket 7 is made of metal and comprises a bracket body 71, ahinge structure 73 connected to one end of the bracket body 71, and afixing piece 75 connected to one end of the hinge structure 73.

The bracket body 71 is formed with positioning adjustment holes 711 anda fixing through hole 713. The positioning adjustment holes 711 matchthe positioning pillars 201 respectively. The fixing through hole 713matches the fixing hole 203.

The positioning adjustment holes 711 each comprise a large-diameterportion 711 a and an elongated portion 711 b communicating with thelarge-diameter portion 711 a. The diameter of the large-diameter portion711 a is greater than the width of the elongated portion 711 b. Thelarge-diameter portion 711 a is exactly sized to allow the head portion2013 of the positioning pillar 201 to be inserted into thelarge-diameter portion 711 a. The elongated portion 711 b is exactlysized to allow the neck portion 2011 of the positioning pillar 201 to beslided into the elongated portion 711 b. The height of the neck portion2011 is equal to the sectional thickness of the elongated portion 711 b(i.e. the thickness of a plate of which the fixing bracket 7 is made).The bottom surface of the head portion 2013 presses on a portion of thebracket body 71 adjacent and lateral to the margin of the elongatedportion 711 b such that, after sliding into the elongated portion 711 b,the neck portion 2011 can only horizontally move along the elongatedportion 711 b without detaching therefrom, so as to facilitatepositional adjustment.

The positioning adjustment holes 711 are exemplified by through holescorresponding in position to the positioning pillars 201. The snap-fitengagement of the positioning adjustment holes 711 and the positioningpillars 201 allows the fixing bracket 7 to be fixed to the server 200.

A point to note is that in this embodiment the two positioningadjustment holes 711 and the two positioning pillars 201 correspond inposition to each other but can be replaced by the equivalents thereto ofdifferent quantity and structure as apparent to persons of ordinaryskills in the art without being limited by the appended drawings.

The fixing through hole 713 is elongated and corresponds in position tothe fixing hole 203. The fixing hole 203 and the fixing through hole 713are screwed together so as to fix the fixing bracket 7 to the server200. In this embodiment, with the screw 9, the fixing hole 203 and thefixing through hole 713 are screwed together.

A point to note is that in this embodiment the one fixing through hole713 and the one fixing hole 203 correspond in position to each other butcan be replaced by the equivalents thereto of different quantity andstructure as apparent to persons of ordinary skills in the art withoutbeing limited by the appended drawings.

The positioning adjustment holes 711 and the fixing through hole 713 areequal in width (i.e. the horizontal traveling distance). The distancebetween the positioning adjustment holes 711 and the fixing through hole713 is equal to that between the positioning pillars 201 and the fixinghole 203 such that not only can horizontal positions of the positioningadjustment holes 711 be readily adjusted relative to the positioningpillars 201 but the fixing through hole 713 can be readily aligned withthe fixing hole 203.

The bracket body 71 further comprises reinforcing portions 715 bendingand extending from two sides of the bracket body 71 in such a way thatthe cross-section of the bracket body 71 assumes a C-shape. In thisembodiment, the reinforcing portions 715 have a well-built structurebased on two bends, thus allowing the bracket body 71 to bear the weightof the server 200. However, the structure of the reinforcing portion 715is not limited by the one shown in the drawings.

The hinge structure 73 comprises a first hinging portion 731 and asecond hinging portion 733. The first hinging portion 731 is formed byextending and bending one end of the bracket body 71, and the secondhinging portion 733 is formed by extending and bending one end of thefixing piece 75. The first hinging portion 731 and the second hingingportion 733 together appear in the form of a plurality of spaced-aparthollow sleeves. The sleeves of the second hinging portion 733 outnumberthat of the first hinging portion 731. The alternate hollow sleeves ofthe first and second hinging portions 731 and 733 together form hollowcolumns communicating with each other. An shaft 8 penetrates andcombines the first hinging portion 731 and the second hinging portion733 such that not only is the fixing piece 75 connected to the bracketbody 71 but the fixing piece 75 can be reversed when rotated around thehinge of the first hinging portion 731 and the second hinging portion733.

A point to note is that the aforesaid hinge structure is applicable tothe fixing bracket of the present invention. Inasmuch as the structureof the aforesaid hinge structure is publicly known and invariable, onlythe present invention-related details of the structure of the aforesaidhinge structure are shown in the appended drawings in order to make theillustration simpler. That the first hinging portion 731 and the secondhinging portion 733 are not limited by the appended drawings is apparentto persons of ordinary skills in the art.

The through holes 753 disposed in the fixing piece 75 match the throughholes 301 of the rods of the rack 300. The through holes 753 and thethrough holes 301 are penetrated by the screws 9 and then lockedtogether by the screws 9 and nuts 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, to implement this embodiment, a pair of the fixingbrackets 7 are used. A temporary installation process of the fixingbrackets 7 comprises the steps of: positioning flat portions (the flatportion is the other side of the bracket body 71 as opposed to thereinforcing portions 715) of the two fixing bracket 7 in such a way thatthe flat portions face each other; positioning the fixing pieces 75 insuch a way that the fixing pieces 75 point toward the rack 300 and flankthe server; inserting the head portions 2013 of the positioning pillars201 into the large-diameter portions 711 a of the positioning adjustmentholes 711 such that the head portions 2013 of the positioning pillars201 penetrate the large-diameter portions 711 a until the neck portions2011 reach the large-diameter portions 711 a; and pushing the bracketbody 71 away from the rack 300 and along both sides of the server 200until the neck portions 2011 slide into the elongated portions 711 b. Atthe end of the temporary installation process, the fixing brackets 7 aretemporarily fixed to both sides of the server 200.

A permanent installation process of the fixing brackets 7 comprises thesteps of: reversing the fixing pieces 75 of the two fixing brackets 7inward to allow the fixing pieces 75 to get closer to the server 200;pushing the server 200 toward the rack 300 until the second fixingplates 205 touch the rack 300; inserting the screws 9 into the fixingholes 207 and the corresponding through holes 301 and screwing thefixing holes 207 and the corresponding through holes 301 together withthe nuts 10; moving the neck portions 2011 in the elongated portions 711b horizontally to adjust a protruding distance of the fixing brackets 7relative to the server 200; moving the fixing pieces 75 until the fixingpieces go beyond the rods 300 c and 300 d; reversing the two fixingpieces 75 outward to allow the two fixing pieces 75 to lie on a surfaceof the rods 300 c and 300 d; inserting the screws 9 into the throughholes 753 and the corresponding through holes 301 and screwing thethrough holes 753 and the corresponding through holes 301 together withthe nuts 10; and screwing the fixing through holes 713 and thecorresponding fixing holes 203 together with the screws 9. At the end ofthe permanent installation process, the server 200 is permanently fixedto the rack 300 as shown in FIG. 4.

As described above, a fixing bracket of the present invention has awell-built structure formed by means of metal bending and thus thefixing bracket solves a drawback of the prior art, that is, aconventional fixing bracket fails to uniformly bear the weight of aserver and thus the fixing bracket tends to sag and deform. Also, in theabsence of any related components, adjustment can be made in aprotruding distance of the fixing bracket of the present invention so asto suit racks of different dimensions, and thus the present invention iscost-efficient.

A fixing bracket of the present invention comprises a reversible fixingpiece so as to effectively achieve a fixing function in a space oflimited volume, thus solving a drawback of the prior art, that is, thecomplicated, inconvenient process of installation of a conventionalL-shaped fixing bracket. Also, the installation of the fixing bracket ofthe present invention is quick.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses a fixing bracketcharacterized by a well-built structure, ease of installation, excellentcompatibility, and high cost-efficiency, and thus the present inventionhas high industrial applicability.

The aforesaid embodiment merely serves as the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. It should not be construed as to limit the scopeof the present invention in any way. Hence, any other changes canactually be made in the present invention. It will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that all equivalent modifications or changes made,without departing from the spirit and the technical concepts disclosedby the present invention, should fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A fixing bracket for fixing a server comprising two sides eachdisposed with positioning pillars and a fixing hole to a rectangularrack comprising four rods each disposed with a plurality of throughholes, the fixing bracket comprising: a bracket body formed withpositioning adjustment holes and a fixing through hole, the positioningadjustment holes matching the positioning pillars respectively, and thefixing through hole matching the fixing hole; a hinge structureconnected to the bracket body; and a fixing piece connected to the hingestructure.
 2. The fixing bracket of claim 1, wherein the bracket body ismade of metal.
 3. The fixing bracket of claim 1, wherein the bracketbody further comprises reinforcing portions bending and extending fromtwo sides flanking the positioning adjustment holes and the fixingthrough hole in such a way that a cross-section of the bracket bodyassumes a C-shape.
 4. The fixing bracket of claim 1, wherein thepositioning adjustment holes each comprise a large-diameter portion andan elongated portion communicating with the large-diameter portion. 5.The fixing bracket of claim 1, wherein the fixing through hole iselongated.
 6. The fixing bracket of claim 1, wherein both the fixinghole and the fixing through hole are penetrated by a fixing element. 7.The fixing bracket of claim 6, wherein the fixing element is exemplifiedby one of a screw and an element for fixing the fixing hole and thefixing through hole to each other.
 8. The fixing bracket of claim 1,wherein the hinge structure comprises a first hinging portion and asecond hinging portion, the first hinging portion being formed byextending and bending one end of the bracket body, and the secondhinging portion being formed by extending and bending one end of thefixing piece.
 9. The fixing bracket of claim 8, wherein an shaftpenetrates both the first hinging portion and the second hinging portionsuch that the bracket body and the fixing piece can be reversed relativeto each other by rotation around the shaft.
 10. The fixing bracket ofclaim 1, wherein the fixing piece is disposed with through holes.